300 cleaning robots that ‘sing’ and ‘rap’ to be seen in Singapore by March 2020

07/18/2019

Singaporeans will soon be greeted by 300 autonomous cleaning robots that can sing and rap while cleaning the city-state.

If that is not all, it can also wink at passersby and make jokes if people get in the way of the its cleaning duties.

Local robotics company LionsBot International (LionsBot) revealed on Wednesday (17 July) at Gardens of the Bay that they will soon be building and deploying the autonomous professional cleaning robots.

This is part of a special agreement between LionsBot and 6 preferred cleaning partners to deploy the cleaning robots by March 2020.

The local company has developed 13 different models of cleaning robots that are able to scrub, mop, vacuum, sweep, shine and even transport cleaning equipment for both indoors and outdoors usage.

For instance, the LeoBots Family is 63cm wide and has the ability to navigate through doorways and tight corridor spaces.

“When it comes to robotics, cleaning is a complicated undertaking which involves finding the right balance between pressure, mechanical and chemical action on different surfaces. Our many years in the industry made us aware of exactly what was needed in a cleaning robot. We tried many existing solutions in the market but did not find the right one. This led us to dream about building our own cleaning robot workforce,” said Dylan Ng, who co-founded LionsBot with his wife Michelle Seow and Assistant Professor Mohan Rajesh Elara from the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD).

Prof Mohan’s research expertise in robotics contributed to the development of the autonomous cleaning robots.

“LionsBot cleaning robots are built on the challenges that cleaners face. We also looked at existing market solutions and worked on developing technology that was unique, and yet, solved industry specific issues,” added Mr Ng.

The company’s unique technology allows the robots to use 70% lesser water compared to regular cleaning solutions, work together as a team without the need for human programming, and have high-speed and contextual mapping to capture a premise’s cleaning requirements.

In addition, the robots also have well integrated precision sensors to avoid objects and detect human, and equipped with safety bumpers that cause it to come to a stop if it ever comes into contact with an object.

Besides that, the company has also established LionsBot Training Academy which equips cleaners with a six-hour training programme on the use of the robots, as well as developed a first-of-its-kind mobile application that rewards cleaners based on how well they operate and maintain the robots.

Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry Koh Poh Koon, who was at the event on Wednesday, said: “As businesses across the cleaning industry adopt new technologies, equipping workers with the right skillset is critical. Cleaning robots can help to free up time for higher value-added duties such as supervision, operation and maintenance of the robots”.

To ensure quality control, the manufacturing of the robots will be held in Singapore. The company has built their in-house capabilities with a team of over 30 engineers who take on the entire process from developing a cloud platform to 3D prototyping and manufacturing of robots. The team targets to produce four robots each day.

LionsBot is the world’s first company to offer cleaning robots on a subscription model, where companies can utilise the bots without having to invest in ownership and maintenance.

Cleaning companies and building owners can rent any of LionsBot’s cleaning robots at monthly fees ranging from S$1,350 to S$2,150.